January 2010 – January 2013

Sister M. Lucia Haas Scholarship Endowment

The Purpose

The Sister M. Lucia Haas Scholarship Endowment at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota County, Florida, honored the friendship between Dorothy Patterson and Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School President Sister M. Lucia Haas. The endowment created a lasting benefit for the school via a scholarship program for student tuition assistance.

Strengthening the Impact

The Patterson Foundation held a matching challenge to create a tuition assistance fund at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, originally donating $1 million as seed money to launch the Sister M. Lucia Haas Scholarship Endowment. The goal was to inspire an additional $1 million in donations within 20 months — by December 31, 2012.

FAQsClick on frequently asked questions below to learn more about this initiative...

Why did The Patterson Foundation support this initiative?

Their Roman Catholic faith was an important part of Dorothy and Jim’s lives. In Ossining, New York, they met at St. Augustine Catholic School and were married in St. Augustine Catholic Church. Later, Dorothy volunteered at St. Agnes' Children's Hospital and supported the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor at St. Augustine's Catholic Church. After Jim's death in 1992, Sister M. Lucia Haas became a close friend of Dorothy Patterson.

How were the students of Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School chosen to benefit from this initiative?

Sister M. Lucia Haas, President of Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, has been involved with the school for 30 years. She said Dorothy Patterson's first gift to Cardinal Mooney many years ago supported scholarships for needy students. The Patterson Foundation chose to honor that legacy to Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

When did The Patterson Foundation make its gift to Cardinal Mooney students and what was the impact?

The Patterson Foundation made a $1 million contribution to establish the fund in 2011 and issued a one-to-one matching challenge up to an additional $1 million. With the success of the match, a $3.2 million endowment was created to assist financially-needy youth attending Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School.

Will The Patterson Foundation be making other gifts to this initiative?

No, this was a one-time legacy initiative.

Who can I contact about the Sister M. Lucia Haas Scholarship Endowment initiative?

For more information about this past initiative, contact Michael Corley, Senior Consultant for TPF Administration: mcorley@thepattersonfoundation.org.